"赋"，"比"，"兴"也是和《诗经》有关的三个术语（另外三个是之前提到过的"风"，"雅"，"颂"），指的是创作的三种表现手法。

赋，平铺直叙，铺陈、排比。即是把思想感情及其有关的事物平铺直叙地表达出来。在篇幅较长的诗作中，铺陈与排比往往是结合在一起用的。铺排是将一连串内容紧密关联的景观物象、事态现象、人物形象和性格行为，按照一定的顺序组成一组结构基本相同、语气基本一致的句群。赋是最基本的表现手法，赋中比兴，或者起兴后再用赋。

• A narrative (赋) is a direct reference to an object or an event.

比就是类比，用得最为普遍。以彼物比此物，诗人有故事或情感，借一个事物作类比。一般来说，用来作比的事物比被比的本体事物更加生动具体，且鲜明浅近而为人们所知，便于联想和想象，突出事物特征。

• An analogy (比) metaphorically likens one thing to another.

兴，先言他物以引起所咏之词。从特征上讲，有直接起兴（即兴感发）、兴中含比（在感发时借客观景物婉转地表达出某种思想感情）两种情况；从使用上讲，有篇头起兴和兴起兴结两种形式。激发联想，加强了意蕴。

• An association (兴) is an impromptu expression of a feeling, a mood or a thought, or using an objective thing as metaphor for sensibilities.

看看古代学者是如何定义“赋”、“比”、“兴”的~

"三经"是赋、比、兴，是做诗底骨子，无诗不有，才无则不成诗。盖不是赋便是比，不是比便是兴。如风、雅、颂却是里面横丳（chuàn）底，都有赋、比、兴，故谓之"三纬"。（《朱子语类》卷八十）

现代文翻译：《诗经》中的"三经"指赋、比、兴，是作诗的骨架，所有的诗都有，如果没有就不成诗。大概是没有赋就得有比，没有比就得有兴。像风、雅、颂在诗歌里面却起横向的连接作用，诗歌中都得有赋、比、兴，所以将风、雅、颂称为"三纬"。

英文翻译：The three "longitudes" of The Book of Songs (诗经) refer to narrative, analogy, and association, which serve as the frame of a poem. Without these, they could not be called poems. If narrative is not used in a poem, analogy must be used; if analogy is not used, association must be employed. Ballads (风) from the states, court hymns (雅), and eulogies (颂) play a connecting role in the poems. Since the poems have narrative, analogy, and association serving as the "longitudes (三经)," ballads from the states, court hymns, and eulogies are therefore called the three "latitudes (三纬)." (Classified Conversations of Master Zhu Xi)

赋者，敷陈其事而直言之者也；比者，以彼物比此物也；兴者，先言他物以引起所咏之词也。（朱熹《诗集传》）

现代文翻译：赋，是铺陈事物而直接叙述；比，就是以他事物比喻此事物；兴，就是先说他物然后再引出所吟咏的事物。

英文翻译：A narrative is a direct description of an object, an event or a relationship. An analogy metaphorically likens one thing to another. An association employs a metaphor as a lead-in (引子，开场白) for the real subject of a poem. (Zhu Xi: Studies on The Book of Songs)